September is slowly coming to an end, although you would not have guessed it stepping outside as it’s supremely hot this week!

The end of September means that my beloved aubergines will soon disappear off the green grocer’s shelves so I am keen to share one more aubergine recipe with you before the end of the season.

This recipe is a simple midweek dinner that’s easy to make, yet it’s somehow impressive. It’s a simple aubergine stir-fry flavoured with a bunch of aromatics in a salty, sweet and sour glaze served over a bowl of steaming hot rice.

To stop the aubergine from soaking up too much oil, you coat it in a thin layer of cornflour first which also produces nice crisp edges during pan-frying. Thanks to aubergine’s firm and meaty texture, this dish is rather satisfying whether you’re vegan or not.

PS: If you make my vegan Chinese aubergine, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram as @lazycatkitchen and use the #lazycatkitchen hashtag. I love seeing your takes on my recipes!

Method

Cut aubergines / eggplants into 3-4 thick slices and then each slice into wedges lengthwise.

OPTIONAL: Place aubergine / eggplant pieces in a colander over a deep plate. Sprinkle liberally with salt and set aside for the salt to draw the bitterness out. After 45 mins, wash the salt off and blot the aubergine dry with a kitchen towel.

Sprinkle the aubergine / eggplant pieces with a thin layer of cornflour / cornstarch. You can either use a small sieve for this (or a tea strainer) or a large ziplock bag although I prefer the former as it’s kinder on the environment. If using a bag, place aubergine pieces and cornflour in it. Zip up and shake the contents well to coat the aubergine.

Heat up 1 tbsp of oil in a non-stick pan, on medium heat. Once the oil warms up, place the aubergine / eggplant pieces in the pan and fry until gently charred on the outside and cooked through. Rotate the pieces around the pan to make sure they brown evenly on all sides. You may need to fry the aubergine in batches if your pan is small. Once ready, set aside.

In a small bowl, combine tamari (or soy sauce), rice wine vinegar, maple syrup, sesame oil and 3 tbsp of water. In another small bowl, combine ½ tbsp cornflour with 2 tbsp of water to thicken the sauce with later.

Heat up 1 tbsp of oil in a pan. Add spring onions and sliced chilli (if using). Stir fry until soft (about 1-2 minutes), then add diced ginger and garlic – fry until they both soften and become fragrant (about 1 minute).

Push the aromatics to the side of the pan and pour in the sauce, followed by the cornflour slurry. Mix the two well. Simmer the sauce gently for a few seconds so that it can thicken.

Stir in grilled aubergine to warm it up gently. Serve over a bowl of steaming hot rice.

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This recipe has been written by Ania. She is the cook, stylist and photographer behind Lazy Cat Kitchen. You can read about her journey into food blogging here. You can also check her out on Pinterest and Instagram.

Maple syrup provides sweetness to contrast rice vinegar, making the flavour more rounded. You can take it out if you wish although it will alter the taste, for sure. If you can have dates, it may be worth adding some pureed dates instead. Hope that helps! Ania

Oh my goodness, I LOVE eggplants and Asian food, but for whatever reason I don’t think I’ve ever thought of combining the two! This sounds so good. It’s been so hot where I live, too! Hopefully fall weather is just around the corner. 🙂

I just made this recipe, it is delicious. I used fresh finger eggplant from my garden so no bitterness at all.
Was also suitable for my daughter with PKU (phenylketonuria) as low in protein.
Will be making again.

Because I have a hectic work schedule, I often cook several meals for the week on Sunday. This Sunday I made this dish, but as I needed to stretch the dish for at least a few days over the week, I added tofu, fresh asparagus, and green, yellow, and orange peppers. Of course, that meant doubling the heavenly sauce. Then I had to stop myself from eating it all on Sunday night so I would have leftovers during the week. It is a wonderful dish, both fresh and reheated, and one I am sure I will make often. Thank you for the delicious recipe.

I just found your site and I really love all your recipes! I made some stew and had half an eggplant leftover. This looks so amazing, I will buy another eggplant and make it! That is why I love being vegan, cook something, have leftovers and turn that into something else that is delicious 😉
Also love your dessert recipes!! Gosh I have to try some of those chocolate pots!
Thank you for the recipes! 🙂

My pleasure, Franziska! I’m delighted to hear that! Yes, I agree 100% – veganism that does to make you even more creative in the kitchen as conventional ingredients aren’t there so you need to think on your feet. Ania

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Hi, I'm Ania. I love good food but I love animals more! Adopting a plant-based diet has been the best decision I've made and that's how this blog was born. It's a space where I want to show you that creating delicious plant-based food isn't actually hard at all.

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